 Saving Faith or Legalism.
Romans 2:1-11 "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man- you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself- that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality." The grammar in Romans 1:5 is key to understanding 2:1-11 in terms of saving faith verses being saved by keeping the Jewish Law. “Obedience of faith” is more clearly translated, “obedience that comes from faith”. “Faith is a subjective genitive modifying the noun, obedience, which means that the noun (obedience) proceeds from faith. Obedience proceeds from the faith Paul is writing about. Saving faith brings with it the desire to obey. Desire to obey the truth is an indicator of saving faith rather than living according to all the Jewish Law such as the food laws and celebrating certain Jewish holy days. The person(s) that are condemning people in the Roman church are guilty of some of the sins described in Romans 1:22-32. We know that if we break the Law at one point we have broken the whole Law (James 2:10). Condemning another believer for not keeping certain days holy above others or eating or not eating certain foods is wrong (see Romans 14). Paul gives us the criteria in Romans 2:6-10 by which to determine if a person has eternal life or if a person is under the wrath of God. The criteria applies to Jew and Gentile alike and has nothing to do with holy days or certain foods. The person who seeks to walk in the good works God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in is a person that has saving faith (Ephesians 2:8-10). The person who walks in disobedience to the truth of God’s Word does not have saving faith. We are not saved by the works we do, but rather the works reveal that our faith in the gospel is genuine. It doesn’t matter if we are Jew or Gentile or live like a Jew or like a Gentile. It does matter that we live in obedience to God’s Word by faith in Jesus. Romans 2:1-5 challenges the condemning person to look at his life and make sure he has saving faith and is not under the wrath of God. Romans 2:6-10 reveals that saving faith is revealed by how we live our lives, not by if we live like a Jew or Gentile culturally. God is not partial to Jew or Gentile (Romans 2:11). God is going to save the person who displays the obedience of faith. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says the same thing, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Does your belief (faith) in Jesus cause you to desire to obey His commands? Is your desire to obey the Lord revealed by your attempt to obey His commands? Saving faith attempts to obey the Word of God expecting the Lord to fulfill that attempt with His power (2 Thessalonians 1:11). Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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 No Excuse.
Romans 2:1 "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things." In order to understand this passage of scripture we have to answer some questions first. What is Paul’s assignment from God stated in Romans 1:5-6? His assignment was to bring about the obedience of faith for Jesus’ sake among all the nations. We see this also inRomans 15:18and Romans 16:26. What is the condition of all men and do they have an excuse for their condition as given in Romans 1:18-20? All men have sinned (Romans 3:23clarifies that Paul is talking about all men in Romans 1:18-20) and are without excuse since they can see God’s divine nature in what has been created and thus know sin is wrong, contrary to God and deserving of His wrath, which is death as clarified in Romans 1:32. Romans 2:1 states that those judging (condemning) others have no excuse because they also have sinned as mentioned in Romans 1:20and are condemning themselves when they judge another person. The “you” in Romans 2:1 is singular and thus indicates that individuals in the Roman church were judging others and ruining unity. Paul instructs in Romans 14:13 that those doing the judging are to stop judging (condemning) and decide to not put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. Please note that there is a difference between judging and condemning. When a person judges another person, the person judging is saying the person is not pleasing God, but still is saved. When a person condemns another, the person is saying the person is not accepted by God and subject to eternal torment. We all need to judge one another to help each other walk pleasing to God (Galatians 6:1). We are not to condemn others who have repented of their sin and believed the gospel. The judging in the Roman church was over non sin issues (Romans 14), not about Romans 1:21-31sin issues. Paul makes an argument in his letter to the Jewish and Gentile Christians that all the ground is level at the foot of the cross, that is, all in the Roman church have sinned and all alike are saved by grace. The Jews and Gentiles were making a big deal over non sin issues (Romans 14) and claiming acceptance (salvation from penalty of sin) by God was by keeping certain practices or by not keeping certain practices. Paul stated clearly in Romans 1:16-17that acceptance by God and pleasing God both occur by faith in the Son of God and that faith yields obedience to God.
May you look at yourself and ask, "Are you judging rightly?", "Are you judging people for non sin issues like clothes, music, hair style, food and drink, holiday practices?" There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:21-32 "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them." Did you notice what happens to people who know God, but do not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him as recorded in Romans 1:21? What happens? Peoples’ thinking becomes futile, which means their reasoning becomes worthless, it has no beneficial outcome, no value. Our text also states as a fact that peoples’ foolish hearts become darkened who do not honor God or give thanks to Him. A darkened heart is a heart that does not know how to live without being destroyed by sin. Romans 1:22-23 instructs us that people who claim to be wise are actually fools who turn away from the immortal Creator God to things made by man. God’s response to this worthless thinking by prideful people is to give them up to the lusts of their hearts, to impurity among themselves (Romans 1:24). This means God let them be sexually immoral as opposed to helping people keep sex within the lifetime commitment of marriage. Sex outside of marriage results in destruction just as a fire in a house outside the furnace chamber destroys the house. Sin not dealt with through true repentance becomes increasingly wicked and destructive (Romans 6:19). Romans 1:26 states God gives people who think they are wise yet are fools who gave into worthless thinking over to dishonorable, same-sex sexual immorality who receive in themselves the due penalty for their error. If people continue to not acknowledge God they will be given up to a debased mind and do what ought not to be done, things recorded in Romans 1:29-31. Those who practice sin and approve of those who practice sin deserve to die. I know this is tough to hear, but this is what God says, we need to listen. What is the solution? Believe the gospel and live a new life by the power of the Holy Spirit. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Let’s honor God and give thanks to God for all to see. Perhaps people will leave their worthless thinking behind and put their trust in Jesus Christ alone. May you have the courage to acknowledge God and ask Him to transform your thinking. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:18-20 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." The Law (Torah = “instruction of God”) is God’s revelation of His wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. The Law was given by God to reveal sin (Romans 7:7, 13) and the penalty of sin (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:4). Ungodliness and unrighteousness do not promote life, but rather death. God has shown us who He is by giving us His written word. By reading the Bible we know who God is, His power, and His attributes (love, justice, mercy, etc.). God has also revealed His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature through the things He created. By studying the creation we get to know the Creator. The ungodly and unrighteous are without excuse when they stand before God in the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). “But I didn’t know what I was doing was wrong,” will not be a valid excuse before God. “But I didn’t know you existed,” will not be a valid excuse before God. God has revealed Himself and His wrath against sin (ungodliness and unrighteousness) to all people by the very things He has made and by His Law. There is no excuse for being surprised by the unpleasant and deadly consequences of sin. God will punish sin. God will also save us from our sin when we repent of our sin and believe Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, to break the power of sin and the power of Satan (John 19:30, "It is finished" better translated "It is paid"; Romans 6:6-7; Hebrews 2:14-15). Have you been saved from your sin? No matter who you think you are, what you have done, or what has been done to you, God loves you and wants you to say "YES" to Him. Romans 5:8 says while we were still sinners Jesus paid the price for our sin with His life. Take a moment to admit you have sinned and deserve the punishment for your sin. Then, believe the gospel (that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures). And finally, confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10). May you know Jesus today. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:14-17 "I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" There are three “I am" statements in these four verses. We each need to say with Paul each of these “I am" statements in our everyday life. Let’s look at what each one means. Romans 1:14, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.” Obligation has the sense of being indebted to someone who has done something for us. Jesus did something for us absolutely no one else could do and went through the pain of physical death to do it. Jesus died on the cross for our sins to pay the penalty for our sins, a penalty we could not pay. Jesus did this because He loved us (Romans 5:8). We are obligated by love, as Paul was, to live for Him and to take up His purpose to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Paul tells us of his love obligation in 2 Corinthians 5:14, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” Are you obligated by the love of Christ to seek and save the lost? (Do not go by what you think in answering this question, but go by what you do.) The second “I am” is given us in Romans 1:15, “So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Paul’s obligation, born of love for Christ, made him eager to preach or share the gospel with all the people of Rome. His obligation did not make him grudgingly go about Christ’s desire as so many obligated people do. Are you eager to share the gospel with all in your city, at your place of work, in your neighborhood and family? Or, are you grudgingly sharing the gospel with each person in your family and in your circle of influence? Missed opportunities do not happen with people eager to do something, but rather eager people make opportunities happen. Let the frequency of “missed opportunities” verses “made opportunities” make the call on how eager you are to share the gospel. Are you eager? The third “I am” is confessed by Paul in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Paul knew the gospel had the power to change peoples’ lives for the better now, to save them from eternal torment when they die, and to save them for eternal life. Knowing the power of the gospel is essential for being willing to share the gospel with people who desperately need salvation from sin’s power and penalty. Have you experienced the power of the gospel in your life by living obedient to the Word of God by faith in the Son of God? People who have experienced the power of the gospel in their lives are the ones sharing the gospel with others. We experience the power of the gospel through reading the Bible and letting it shape how we think and how we live. Then, we attempt to obey God expecting Him to fulfill our attempt by His power. Ask the Lord Jesus to help you say with the Apostle Paul as recorded in Romans 1:14-16, “I am obligated… I am eager… I am not ashamed.” We ask in faith to have God’s will done in our lives and trust He will answer our prayer (1 John 5:14-15). We act in faith trusting God to fulfill our act of faith with His power (2 Thessalonians 1:11). The righteous shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). May you be obligated, eager, and unashamed to share the gospel with your family and circle of influence. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:9-13 "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you- that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles." Paul means business when he talks about prayer. Check this out. Paul calls God as his witness that he prays without ceasing for them. When you say you will pray for someone, could you call God as your witness to confirm that you did pray for him/her? Ouch. For many this requires a system of some sort, maybe writing stuff down or praying right there on the spot. It definitely requires intentionality to follow through on your commitment to pray. We are to follow Paul’s example (1 Corinthians 11:1). Why did Paul pray for the Roman saints? One reason is that he was serving God in the gospel of His Son. The word translated serving means to be fulfilling his God-given assignment. Paul was not only to preach the gospel, but to pray for the people who hear the gospel (Acts 6:4 – an apostle was called to a ministry of the word and prayer). Each of us have a ministry of the word and prayer in our families and circle of influence. Are you fulfilling your service in the gospel by praying for those in your family and circle of influence? Paul prayed for the opportunity fulfill his longing to come to them and strengthen them using his gift of grace and be encouraged by the Roman saints’ faith (see 1 Peter 4:10 for Peter’s apostolic teaching on using the grace we have to serve others). Paul also desired to reap a harvest among the unbelieving Romans frequenting the church gatherings and from the other unbelieving gentiles in Rome. Are you desiring to help unbelievers in your family and circle of influence meet, know, and follow Jesus? Paul was praying to visit the Roman saints because he often intended to see them, but was prevented by the priority of his God-given assignment to preach the gospel where it had not been preached (see Romans 15:18-22). Do you know your primary God-given assignment? Does your primary assignment prevent you from doing some “other good things”, or do “other good things” keep you from your primary assignment? Follow Paul’s example and keep doing your primary assignment even when it hinders you from other good things. Pray for a time when doing your primary assignment intersects with another good thing you desire to do. May you develop a ministry of the word and prayer in your family and circle of influence. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:8 "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world." Paul's letter to the Romans is written to help the Jewish and Gentile Christians work together in unity. Look at how Paul begins. In Romans 1:1-6Paul states who is he and what he has been assigned to do by Jesus Christ. In Romans 1:7Paul tells the Roman Christians who they are and how loved and resourced they are by the Lord. In the text we will look at today Paul tells the Roman saints that he is thanking God for them and why. Paul gives us an example to follow when bringing correction to the people of God. He first reminds them of the truth while he goes for the heart and relationship. Are you following the example of Paul when you bring correction to the Christians in your life, to your family, and to the individuals you are responsible for? The Christians in the Roman church are not free from sin, but they are impacting the world for Christ. Paul has heard of the faith of the Christians in Rome in his journeys throughout the world. Paul tells the Roman Christians he is thanking God through Jesus Christ because their faith is proclaimed in all the world.
Another example to follow is the Romans' faith that is proclaimed in all the world. Is there a geographical area that knows about your faith by what you do and what you say? Ask the Lord to move in your life to help you live such a life of faith so that those in your geographical area and beyond talk about it. May you follow in the examples given here today and make Jesus famous everywhere you go today. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:7 "To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Please note that if Paul was writing to your local church, he would write the same thing he wrote to the church in Rome to each believer in your local assembly. Three powerful, life changing truths are given to us in Romans 1:7. The first powerful, life changing truth is: God loves all who believe. He loved us at our worst and will never cease to love us. Romans 5:8 tells us that God doesn’t use mere words to tell us He loves us, but loved us by giving us His best while we were at our worst, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 8:32 reveals to us the extent His love will go for us, “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:38-39 instructs us that God is powerful enough to guarantee that nothing (not even ourselves) can separate us from His love. Bask in that and experience the sense of well-being we have by being loved with God’s love. The second powerful, life changing truth is: God calls us saints according to our position and potential in Christ, not according to our past and present failures. Saint means we are set apart for God having all the resources of Christ to live a holy life. It does not mean we have arrived at perfection, but that we will be completely holy when Christ arrives again. Being called a saint is reminding us that we can become experientially what we already are in Christ. The third powerful, life changing truth is: God supplies us with everything we need to live a godly and peaceful life in an ungodly and trouble filled sinful world. Grace is unmerited favor, but it is much more. Grace is all of God’s resources we need to live a godly, profitable and abundant life in hostile circumstances. We access this grace (God’s resources) by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20). We access this grace by going to God’s throne of grace to receive His mercy and gain His grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Learn these truths and live them out in daily life. You will never want to live any other way. Who you think you are shapes how you live. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:1-6 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ," Today we look at what it means to be set apart for the gospel of God. Gospel of God means the “good news that comes from God.” The good news is what is spoken of in Romans 1:2-4. God promised to deliver us from our sin and its penalty in the Old Testament. The prophets spoke of a Savior that would come through the family of King David according to the flesh and be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness. His name is Jesus Christ. Paul clarifies the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 and Romans 10:9. If any person believes Jesus died on the cross for his sin, was buried, rose from the dead on the third day and is Lord, then that person is saved from the penalty and power of sin. That is truly good news from God. To be set apart means to be selected out of a group for a purpose. The purpose is given us in Romans 1:5. Set apart people are people who have been given the purpose of bringing about the obedience that comes from faith or belief in the gospel, for the sake of Jesus’ name among all nations. The Apostle Paul was set apart for the gospel to take the message of the gospel to the Gentiles in as many regions as he could. He established local churches, appointed elders or had them appointed later by others, and then he moved on to start more churches. He was gifted as an apostle and given the grace to complete his assignment. All believers are also set apart for the gospel. All are assigned the area they live and some beyond. Believers in a local church may spend their entire life in one region taking the message of the gospel to all in their circle of influence in their neighborhood, work place, school, etc. The purpose is to bring about the obedience that comes from faith in Jesus Christ to their particular area, community of people. Believers are to seek to share the gospel of God with as many as possible. Set apart means to display Christ in our lives, but there is more. We are more than valuable China ware on display in a China cabinet. Set apart means displaying Christ for all to see and sharing the gospel of God for all to hear. People need to hear the gospel in order to put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:14-17). Are you like the China ware on display in the China cabinet or are you like the China ware in the China cabinet that get used to feed people? We are set apart by God to be China ware that displays its beauty, but also is used to feed people. We are to live displaying Jesus Christ to all around us and to be sharing the gospel so people can hear the gospel and be saved from sin’s penalty and power and live in obedience to Jesus. May you be a beautiful picture of the gospel for all to see as you share the good news with your family and sphere of influence. Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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Romans 1:1 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God," Today we begin a journey through the book of Romans. Buckle up. Don't miss a day. If you were to begin a letter to a local church like Paul does here to the church in Rome, how would you identify yourself? Paul identified himself as a servant. The word, “servant”, means “slave” or “one fully committed to another." A slave always does what his master or lord commands. Paul sees himself as a slave of Christ Jesus, as a person fully committed to his Lord, Jesus Christ. Do you think of yourself as a slave of Jesus Christ? If yes, do you think Jesus agrees with you? Do you think the people around you think of you as a slave of Jesus Christ? Paul writes what a person does who presents himself as a slave in Romans 6:16. A slave seeks to obey the one he serves as a slave. Are you finding out what Jesus is commanding you to do and doing it? Paul identified himself as an apostle. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 Paul lists some assigned tasks people have in the Body of Christ, the Church. An apostle is a leader sent to start new churches and oversee the churches as they establish local leaders, called elders, shepherds or pastors. The authentic apostle has been given the ability to perform signs, wonders, and mighty works (2 Corinthians 12:12). If the person who claims to be an apostle cannot with utmost patience perform signs, wonders and mighty works, that person is not a true apostle. What assigned task in the Body of Christ, the Church, has God given you? Three key questions to ask as we prayerfully read the scriptures:
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